Fuel-reserve system



P. W. STEPHENS EUEL RESERVE SYSTEM @et l@ w23. ATQWE Filed Dec. 51'. 1923,

Patented BERCY w. STEPHENS,

F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FUEL-RESERVE SYSTEM.,

Application filed December 31, 1921. Serial No. 526,425.

To all whom it may camera.'

Be it known that I, PERGY W. STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofy Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel-Reserve Systems, of which the following is a specification. y

The object of my'invention is to provide improved means whereby thedriver of an automobile may receive warning that the supply. of gasoline is nearing the point of exhaustion, and for withholding a reserve supply that may be drawn upon by the driver after he has received such warning.

My device is of the type whereinthe warning is given when the level of the gasoline has reached a predetermined point, and wherein further withdrawal of gasoline is permitted only when `.the driver manipulates the mechanism provided for that purpose. An important requirement of devices of this kind is theprovision of means in`- suring against the mechanism being left in such position that the reserve supply will be drawn off withoutimparting the desired warning signal to the driver. Devices of this kind have heretofore been constructed wherein automatic mechanism was provided and relied upon for .restoring the warning' mechanism to operative position when a new supply of gasoline was taken into the tank. I

Such automatic mechanism has taken different forms, generally being operatively connected to the tank filling cap or opening, whereby some operation necessary in the refilling of the tank automatically Arestores the warning mechanism to operative posi-4 40 tion. One. of the purposes of my invention is to dispense with the mechanism necessary for automatic operation, and without such mechanism to provide with equal certainty' for the restoration of the warning mechanism to operative position when a new supply of gasoline is taken into'the tank. effect this purpose by so constructing the manually operable part of the mechanism that its position indicates the operative and 1 0 inoperative adjustments of the warning mechanism so clearly"that the tank cannot be refilled with gasoline without the-opera tor becoming informed and reminded of the condition of the adjustment of the warning mechanism.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a gasoline tank with one embodiment of my invention applied thereto,

Figure 2 is a detailed View of the upper end of` the discharge outlet,

Figure 3 is a detail d view of the end of the operating connection, and

'Figure 4- is a detailed view of another formv which the free end of the operating connection may take.

As illustrated, the tank 1 is provided with a filling opening, and the usual screw cap 2 for closing lthe same. I have illustrated my invention in connection with a gravity feed system, but it will be obvious that the same principle may be applied to a vacuum or pressure feed system ofthe types in `common use. In the application illustrated in the drawings, the gasoline is discharged from the tank 1 thru the pipe 2. The pipe 2 communicates with the interior of the tank thru the discharge member t to which it is attached by a coupling 5B. The discharge member. 4 projects thru and is secured to the bottom of the tank 1.

' The discharge member 4 is provided with two principaloutlet ducts 5 and 6, the former communicating with the interior of the tank ata point considerably above the latter. Intermediate the level of the outlet duct 5 and the outlet duct 6 is a third outlet duct 7 vwhichestablishes communication betweenthe interior of. the tank and the duct 5 atv a point slightlyV below .the level of the outlet duct 5,; but suiicientlyabove the duct 6 to retain a suliicient reserve supplyof gasoline until the valve, which controls the duct 6, is operated.

As illustrated, the member 4 consists of a casting in which the outlet 'ducts 5 and 6 take the form of vertical channels separated by a wall 8. At some point below the inlet of duct 6 an aperture 9 is formed in the wall 8, thereby establishing communiimv cation at that Apoint between lthe ducts 6 and 7.v Operating inthe aperture 9 is a cylindrical valve 10, the stem y11 of which projects to the exterior of the member 4 thru the housing ,12 which projects therefrom. At its outer end the housing 12 is drilled to form a working fit with the valve stem 11. vAt vits inner end the opening in the housing 12, thru which the valvestem passes, is enlarged, as indicated at 13 to gif-* ford space for the spiral spring ,14 which surrounds the valve stem, and for the pack- ,ing 15 which is seated at the shoulder 16 formed'at the junction of the larger and smaller in 12. A

he outer end of the spring 14 abuts parts of the bore thru the hous- Aagainst a .washer 17, which transmits the pressure vof the spring to the packing 15, thereby insurin point, and the inner end of the spring 14 abuts against a washer 18 which is held in position on the valve stem by a pin 19l which passes thru .the valve stem and against the projecting ends of which the washer 18 rests. It will be apparent that by this conk struction the spring 14 serves the double purpose of normally holding the valve 10 in ing, and hence the closure of the opening 9 is' not dependent upon the valve occupying a single predetermined position, as would be the case with a cone valve resting upon a conical seat. The purpose of using this form of valve is to permit the spring 14 to force the valve inward to a position where the packing 21will be compressed between theannular shoulder 20 and the end of the housing 12, the limits of movement necessary to effect this purpose being within the amount of movement which the valve may have while retaining the opening 9 closed( It will j thus be seen that the spring 14 serves not only the two functions of closing the valve and compressing the packing 16,A but` also the third function of compressing the packing 21.

Attached to the valve stem 11, just outside of the end of the housing 12, is an operating member 22, preferably taking the form of a flexible cord or Wire cable. This operating member 22 is of such length as-to extend around the side of 'the tan-k to the filling cap 2. When no tension is exerted upon the operating member, 22, the valve 10 will be held in closed position by the spring 14, and the reserve supply ,-ofA gasoline below the upperoutlet openings will be retained infthe tank. The length of the operating member 22 is such that when it is drawn outwardly against leakage at Athat In order to 'to open the valve .10, one member of the fastening deviceupon 'the free end ofthe operating member is in position to engage 'a cooperating fastening attachment upon the This fastening device may the filling cap is provided, and in the form shown in Figure 3, the end of the operating member 2 is fitted with a flat plate 24 secured to the member 22 Abv the tongues 25 .which are integral with t-lie flat plate, and

are bent around the end part of the member 22.l As shown in Figure .3, the flat-'plate 24 is provided with ltwo openings 26 and 27 adapted to pass over the stud 23 Then the outer opening 27 is over the stud 23, no tension is exerted upon the operating member 22,'and the spring 14 operates to'close and to lkeep closed the valve 10. `When the gasoline .level descends to a point below the opening, the operator disenga-ges the opening v27 from the stud 23, and opens rthe valve 10 by pulling upon the operating member 22.'

The distance between the openings 26 and 27 in the fastening deviceis such that when the operating member is pulled outwards suf- 'ficient to open the valve 10, the aperture 26 will register with the stud 23, and may be .passed thereover to holdl the valve in vopen position While the reserve gasoline supply is being consumed. As indicated in Figure 3,

`-the plate 24 may bear inscriptions adjacent the openings 26 and 27 indicating that when the opening 27 is in engagement with the stud 23, the sparegas valve is closed, and

that when'the opening 26 is in engagement' with the stud 23, the spare gas valve is open. i. v

make a visual indicationof the position ofthe spare gas valve more Aconspicuous. I may provide the operating member 22 with a fastening plate 28 of the form -shown in Figure 4, wherein only a single aperture 29 is provided. In this form, the length of the operating member 22 is 4Such that fthe aperture 29 can engage and be passed over the stud 23 only when the operatingf member 22 is pulled out-ward to open the valve 10.

VFor convenience, ahook 30 maybe provided upon some other part of the automobile structure at such distance vfrom the valve that when aperture 29- is passed over the hook, the valve will be permitted to close under the tension of its spring. By this arrangement when the operator refills the gas- -oline tank, the engagement of the fastening filling cap without the reserve gasoline valve being finally restored to closed positlon, still the attachment of the cap to the operating member 22 could not escape the operators notice, and he thereupon would disengage the operating member from the filling cap and attach it to the hook 30; and

. thereby .the gasoline reserve valve would be Y closed. The arrangement of the'fastening device shown in Figure 4 and just described, is a more conspicuous reminder than the arrangement shown-in Figure 3, by reason of the greater difference in .position of the operating member when the reserve -valve is opened and closed, respectively. The inter- -mediate opening f7 is smaller thanvthe outlets 5 and 6, and is designed to permit the flow of a very limited stream of gasoline after the level has descended below the outlet 5, thus insuring a period-ofinsnicient gasoline supply to the engine .just prior to the complete shutting o' of the supply caused by the level 'of the gasoline descending to the lower edge of the opening 7. The opening 7 may either be of restricted area, or it may be partially obstructed by a covering of Wire gauze as indicated at 31 in Figure 2. A The purpose of the restricted `intermediate outlet 7 is to cause an imperfect and halting action of the engine prior to its being completely stopped. By this means, the driver is relieved of the linconvenience of having his engine suddenly stop without warning, possibly in crowded traffic, and is enabled todraw upon his reserve supply before the motion of the car is arrested.

While l describe a specific embodiment of vmy invention, it will be apparent that the application of my improvement is not dependent upon the use of the4 particular mechanism illustrated and above described. The function of the intermediate restricted opening 7 may be effected by so forming the valve 10 and the opening 9 in which it operates that complete closure of the opening `9 is not caused by the valve. For instanceif f the valve were square 1n cross section and operating in a circular opening, a restricted flow of gasoline would be permitted from the duct 6 to the outlet pipe 2 even :when the valve was in closed position. Thisrestrict= ed discharge would beA sufficient to permit the operation of the engine, although so imperfectly as to warn the driver of the lowered level of the gasoline supply. With this construction of the valve the function of the intermediate opening 7 could-be preserved and that opening dispensed with. It -will also be apparent that the application of myv invention is not limited to the specific location of the fastening positions of the operating means upon the filling cap and automobile structure in the precisev positions illustrated and described, Both of the fastening positions might be upon an adjacent -stem pro] ec'ting1 .spring exerting pressure upon -packing ma.-

terial surrounding said stem at the inner and outer ends of said aperture.

2. In a device of the class described, a valve casing, a valve having a stem projecting through an opening iin said casing tothe exterior thereof, packing material surrounding said stem adgacent the wall of said casing on the inside and on. the outside thereof, said outside packing material lying betwen the outer surface of said casing and a shoulder on said valvestem, a spring surrounding said valve stem inside of said casing and exerting pressure at one end to force said valve inward and to closed A. position and at the-other end exerting pressure against -said packing material on the inside of said casing.

'3. lin a device of the class described, a valve casing having therein two ducts and a port connecting said ducts, a valve cooperating with said portand operable througha limited range of movement to maintain said port closed, said valve having a stem projecting through an opening in said casing to the exterior thereof, acking -material surrounding said stem on the inside and out- 'side of the wall of said casing, and a spring within said casing adapted to exert pressure in one direction upon said valve and outer packing and in the opposite direction upon said inner acking.

4. In a evice of the class described, a tank having a filling opening, a cover for said opening, a valve casing connected to and extending through the bottom wall of said tank, said casing having two ducts connecting with the interior of said tank at different levels, a valve-controlled port connectin said ducts, a valve having a through an openin in said casing to t e exterior thereof, paring material surrounding said stem on the innerand the outer sides of the wall of said casing, a spring within saidv casing and adapted to exert pressure in one direction .on said valve and outer packing and in the opposite direction on said inner packing, a flexible operating member extending from said valve to the upper side of said tank, fastening mechanism comprising coacting los lil

parts upon said cover and operating member, said parts being in cooperative relption only when said operating member is in position to hold said valve open.

5. In combination, a tank, a'valve casing having a duct extending between the interior end the exterior of said tank, a valve in said duct and having a, stem' projeotin through an opening in `said casing to t e exterior thereof, pecking material surrounding said stem'upon the inside and the outside of the wall of said casing, e spring within said casing adapted to position to exert increased pressure upon said inner packlng materlal.

Xn -Witness whereof, I hereunto subscrlbe my name this 29th day of December, A. D.,

PERCY W. STEPHENS.

'adap'ted'when said valve is forced to open 

